The Velvet Underground & Nico Perfect mix of European avant-garde and New York urban decadence. It can be harsh and repetitive - in a good way ("I'm Waiting For My Man"), peaceful, tender, dreamy ("Sunday Morning"), even folky ("The Black Angel's Death Song") and "Venus in Furs" is simply one of the best songs ever written.

One of the best albums of all time! My favourite is "I'll Be Your Mirror", greatest love song ever.

Fun House is certainly their most "out there." I'd definitely say it's not perfect (kind of defeats the purpose of naming it in this thread haha but whatever), but the thing takes the more primordial, decadent side of rock n' roll and makes it seem almost spiritual or something.

You had an awesome call on the 1st Captain Beyond!!
As I said in my own post, I'm sorely tempted to rate their 2nd one that high, as well except a few spots sorta drag it down, a bit but I'd still give the 2nd one at least 90%, or so

Most of you have the right idea for this thread, but I for one am trying to learn some things, so I (and others, no doubt) would much prefer it if people kept to the spirit of the OP (and the following few posts) and spoke a bit about the albums in question. Why are they favourites? What makes them so worthy of praise? I'm actually trying to delve into areas of music I'm not so familiar with (I've already checked outt that Cat Stevens album thanks to marks' post...really really surprising!) here, but a mere list of albums doesn't do any good. If you don't have time to talk about a bunch of albums, just mention one. Sorry for getting preachy on y'all, but it's an annoying message board habit that should be quelled around here, just making a list of stuff that nobody can be arsed to read or care about.

If you guys are just going to list, I'm going to close the thread. This is a discussion forum, so fucking discuss already.

_________________

MorbidBlood wrote:

So the winner is Destruction and Infernal Overkill is the motherfucking skullcrushing poserkilling satan-worshiping 666 FUCK YOU greatest german thrash record.

You had an awesome call on the 1st Captain Beyond!!As I said in my own post, I'm sorely tempted to rate their 2nd one that high, as well except a few spots sorta drag it down, a bit but I'd still give the 2nd one at least 90%, or so

I actually haven't heard the second one but I always hear it's a big step down so I always balk at picking it up when I see it at the store.

Technically, yes, it is, but it includes primarily unreleased songs and a few single-versions of songs (Holiday in Cambodia and California Uber Alles). So if you didn't get the singles on vinyl, you wouldn't have heard those takes.

The compilation is totally worth getting just for Pull My Strings, for the record. That right there was punk rock's finest moment. Not just for the song itself, but for when they played it.

Also, just to emphasize:

Abominatrix wrote:

Most of you have the right idea for this thread, but I for one am trying to learn some things, so I (and others, no doubt) would much prefer it if people kept to the spirit of the OP (and the following few posts) and spoke a bit about the albums in question. Why are they favourites? What makes them so worthy of praise? I'm actually trying to delve into areas of music I'm not so familiar with (I've already checked outt that Cat Stevens album thanks to marks' post...really really surprising!) here, but a mere list of albums doesn't do any good. If you don't have time to talk about a bunch of albums, just mention one. Sorry for getting preachy on y'all, but it's an annoying message board habit that should be quelled around here, just making a list of stuff that nobody can be arsed to read or care about.

Not because I don't trust failsafeman to get the point across, but because I really don't want to see a decent thread on this board get locked because of idiocy.

_________________

843182 wrote:

biohazard the band is not is when you want to add it to tell you that there is

Agree wholeheartedly with all mentions of Bitches Brew (Miles Davis), In the Court of the Crimson King (King Crimson), Abbey Road (The Beatles), Hemispheres (Rush, although its on the archives), and In A Green World (Brian Eno).

Other stuff that I would give this to....

Explosions in the Sky-The World is not a Cold Dead Place
Brilliant, beautiful. The ambient rock gives way to so much emotion that literally every other post rock band tries and fails. Just listen to those wonderful, emotional melodies during "Your Hand in Mine", just really incredible.

Akira Yakoshima-Silent Hill 1 Soundtrack
Whats a video game soundtrack doing in this thread? You've most certainly never heard it, all of the Silent Hill soundtracks are masterpieces, but this one is laden with terrifying ambient noises that remind you of the dangers of the otherworld.

Insane Clown Posse-The Amazing Jeckel Brothers
I know, what the hell? To be honest I don't know myself, I don't agree with any of the band's veiws, and I usually don't like rap. Something about this record is so stupid, so juvenile, though, that its captivating. Mock me all you want, I honestly love this.

_________________"There is something vaguely homosexual about that picture, and what did you use for drums? Hub Caps?"-SteelCranium

"For Lack of a Better Name" by Deadmau5. From the opening snares of "FML" to the funky beats of "Moar Ghosts N Stuff" to the the ominous syncopated keys of "The 16th Hour" to the complete mindfuck that is "Strobe," it's my favorite non-metal album and 3rd-favorite album overall. Part of the reason I got interested in learning synthesizers.

Checked this one out. Thanks for the description. It's really good! I appreciate the number of vintage and possibly newer sounds that were used here, and also the variance in approaches used throughout the album. I mean, a few of the tracks are rather minimalist and more interested in exploring just what can be done with these sounds whereas one or two are almost rocking. Even heard some killer fuzzy organ in there. Yeah, I really like this album and am going to have to track down a copy.

_________________Hush! and harkTo the sorrowful cryOf the wind in the dark.Hush and hark, without murmur or sigh,To shoon that tread the lost aeons:To the sound that bids you to die.

You had an awesome call on the 1st Captain Beyond!!As I said in my own post, I'm sorely tempted to rate their 2nd one that high, as well except a few spots sorta drag it down, a bit but I'd still give the 2nd one at least 90%, or so

I actually haven't heard the second one but I always hear it's a big step down so I always balk at picking it up when I see it at the store.

I think some clips of the audio are on YouTube, if you have nothing against 'previewing' it that way?
I think it'd be at least worth a preview.
I've never really heard it get flack, but I guess I could see why it does, it's a lot more trippy/mellow then the 1st, it's more the 3rd one after that (the one with the different singer) that I've heard get tons of flack.
If you're not against previewing it I'd at least try to give it a shot that way.

Definitely Andrew Jackson Jihad's "Can't Maintain." Lyrically it is one the darkest albums i have ever heard and the hooks will be in your head for weeks.
Also, i would have to say Local Native's "Gorilla Manor." The songs are so well put together and their vocal harmonies are so perfectly executed. The use of tribal percussion really sets this apart for me as well.

As far as not too much rap being mentioned, both of Biggie's albums are epic. If you are one of the majority of metalheads who hate rap, just do me a favor and listen to Notorious Thugs and Hold Ya Head. You'll be glad you did.

_________________"Our bodies will turn to ashes, our bones will fade to dust, our lives will be forgotten, all our dreams crushed... reality, perception, biased by our egos, mutilated by our superegos, I transcend these for now I am one with the void."-Eclipse Eternal

King Crimson - Islands, In the Wake of Poseidon, Red
These albums are interchangeable, at times I'll be convinced that one is better than the other, then I'll listen to Starless on Red, or Pictures of a City on Wake, or Sailor's Tale on Islands and my mind is changed.

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Probably a record that's in many metalheads' collection. The name seems to come up a lot when discussing non-metal. Absolutely 100% record.

Hawkwind - Space Ritual, Hall of the Mountain Grill
Both are the pinnacle of psych-prog.

Biosphere - Microgravity
The album that got me into ambient.

Dead Can Dance - Within the Realm of a Dying Sun
Another album that appeals to metalheads with its ancient sound.

Klaus Schulze - Timewind
If you listen closely, the sequencers will tell you the truth.

Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express, The Man-Machine, Computer World, (maybe) Autobahn
The famous Kraftwerk streak; how could you leave this off?

I agree with the one who mentioned The Tea Party's "The Edges Of Twilight". It's just a great hard rock album with eastern influences that mixes old styles with more modern (well 90s anyways) influences to create a unique sound altogether. The Bazaar is a monster and Shadows On The Mountainside is acoustic grandeur.

Also agree with Leonard Cohen's "Songs Of Love And Hate", which I think is better than any of his compilations due to its flow and generally dark atmosphere.

Some Siouxie fans here, but to me their greatest achievement is "Juju", which came out when the 'gothic rock' genre was fairly new, and remains one of their darkest yet most adventurous albums without being a haphazard collage of styles that much of their other output was (barring The Scream). Spellbound has to be one of my favorite opening tracks to any album of any genre...there's something about hard acoustic guitar strumming over a driving beat that always gets to me.

I have to mention Renaissance's "Prologue" too. It doesn't get the same accolades as the next few albums they released, but there's something about this albums lack of orchestration I find appealing...it's basically just a band with no outsiders playing the hell out of their instruments with some incredible female vocals overlapping the music. The title track is incredible (what Bass playing!!).

As for Dead Can Dance, Within The Realms Of A Dying Sun has perfect songs, but I wish the song order was different...switch In The Wake Of Adversity with Summoning Of The Muse and you have a masterpiece. My favorite though is The Serpent's Egg, which is bookended by two of their greatest songs, The Host Of Seraphim and Ullyses.

Nice Cave's Tender Prey is my favorite by the dude...a perfect mix of his older and more sophisticated (but still baddass) styles. Up Jumped The Devil is always a good time!

How can you leave off Radio Activity, Electric Cafe and (most shocking of all) their masterpiece Tour De France Soundtracks? Autobahn doesn't even count as a real Kraftwerk album, it's not electric.

Microgravity flows better as a whole piece than Patashnik does. I was also tempted to include Substrata as equally great (though very different) as Microgravity.

As for Kraftwerk, I'm a die-hard fan, it's possible that I'd say they are my favorite group of all time. It would be stupid to sit there and write every album title they've ever made and say "PERFECT". Kraftwerk's rise into electronic was a slow and steady one, from straight acoustic krautrock of Kraftwerk 1, to the orchestral experimentation w/ electronic drums of Ralf und Florian, to the slow and steady synthesizer piece of Autobahn, then to Radio-Activity which was close but not quite there, and a culmination of pure electronic with danceable beats on T-EE.

"For Lack of a Better Name" by Deadmau5. From the opening snares of "FML" to the funky beats of "Moar Ghosts N Stuff" to the the ominous syncopated keys of "The 16th Hour" to the complete mindfuck that is "Strobe," it's my favorite non-metal album and 3rd-favorite album overall. Part of the reason I got interested in learning synthesizers.

Checked this one out. Thanks for the description. It's really good! I appreciate the number of vintage and possibly newer sounds that were used here, and also the variance in approaches used throughout the album. I mean, a few of the tracks are rather minimalist and more interested in exploring just what can be done with these sounds whereas one or two are almost rocking. Even heard some killer fuzzy organ in there. Yeah, I really like this album and am going to have to track down a copy.

Yeah, For Lack of a Better Name is a great album and one of mau5's best, but I can't quite call it perfect. A few songs like "FML", "Bot" and "Word Problems" don't do much for me. I will attest to the complete orgiastic quality of "The 16th Hour" and "Strobe", though. Amazing memories connected to those songs. I'd highly suggest is new one 4x4=12, I'd say it even beats out his previous album. It doesn't have as many minimalistic moments, but it's got a lot of Daft Punk influence and some dubstep sounds as well. Really solid all the way through, I think it's my favorite of his. Deadmau5 is pretty damn consistent: Random Album Title is great as well, and so are the At Play mixes. I LOVE BSOD's contributions to those.

_________________

Varth wrote:

I am getting pissed thinking about all the dumbass fake punk my sister made me listen to

Last edited by flexodus on Tue Dec 14, 2010 1:10 am, edited 1 time in total.

I think Radioactivity is phenomenal actually; sometimes one of my absolute favourite Kraftwerk recordings. Must confess though that I just neve fell in love with Trans-EUrope Express. Here Kraftwerk took their mantric repetition to extreme and, while this wouldn't necessarily spell doom for the record, there's those horrible synth string sounds they were playing with at the time to contend with. Yeah, it's cool that they wrote the title track to rhythmically and sonically remind one of travel on the rails, just like they'd done a few years before (and much more successfully and twice the length, interestingly!) with Autobahn, but such ideas are nothing new to me, and while ou might say that idea is more relevant than execution, if something just sounds like arse, I'm not going to enjoy spending any time with it. For the same reason, Burzum's "Han Som Reiste" presents a real problem for me, and it's on practically my favourite album of his, too. I'd rather listen to the semi-acoustical early Kraftwerk stuff than this, frankly...at least that's exciting.

It's ok, though, a group like Kraftwerk is bound to experiment a great deal. "Showroom Dummies" is a lot of fun though, and they sure did get things right again on "The Man Machine". I agree with John that Tour de France is a real surprise and an awesome experience all round, but then Electric Café, despite being the source of the first few Kraftwerk pieces I ever listened to on college radio way back when I was about seven, is another low point in their discography, in my view...glad they receded a bit after that until they could come up with a real masterpiece in the 21st century.

And, as for JS's My Bloody Valentine question...I really couldn't say why other people like it. However, I can say that the album was a really...memorable experience when listening after taking some special mushrooms. Still not sure exactly what I'm hearing half the time and that's part of the appeal of it. Sometimes it's oddly relaxing and at other times absurdly commanding attention because it's all so cryptically in a world of its own. It's the planned yet completely stoned-out-of-their-minds contradiction of the sound that makes it fascinating. I don't know exactly what is going on with the guitars there but it certainly sounds like they're drifting around in some kind of ocean of destabilising froth.

_________________Hush! and harkTo the sorrowful cryOf the wind in the dark.Hush and hark, without murmur or sigh,To shoon that tread the lost aeons:To the sound that bids you to die.

On a semi-related note, when was the last update on the forthcoming Kraftwerk LP? I think they made one slight announcement that there would be another record, then that's the last I heard (this was sometime in 2009.)

Good, but often (and unfortunately) overshadows the equally excellent Patashnik.

Microgravity flows better as a whole piece than Patashnik does. I was also tempted to include Substrata as equally great (though very different) as Microgravity.

Microgravity and Patashnik are excellent albums but Substrata is the one I'd pick out for inclusion here. It's worth some serious praise, and for me personally, it stands out as Biosphere's finest album. Substrata feels like such a definite, refined work with a perfect atmosphere that's unique and active with ideas and depth. There's a lot of great ambient out there but as soon as I got into this I got pretty hooked and it shot to the forefront of my favorites in the genre; it's also one of my favorites to go to sleep to! The two-disc version is essential for the complete experience. By the way... best use of a Twin Peaks sample ever.

Liquid_Braino wrote:

Some Siouxie fans here, but to me their greatest achievement is "Juju", which came out when the 'gothic rock' genre was fairly new, and remains one of their darkest yet most adventurous albums without being a haphazard collage of styles that much of their other output was (barring The Scream).

Siouxsie & the Banshees are a multifaceted band of variety and cohesion. Definitely a collage of sound but I've never caught even a hint of anything that reeked of a haphazard cut-and-paste job. They're innovators and champions of style; every album and every song is like a different shade of their looming shadow where originality is always apparent.I wouldn't argue with Juju being thought of as their greatest work, it's a unified masterpiece from beginning to end and most of the time I'd probably name it as my favorite too. SatB have some unbelievable closing tracks and as awesome as "Spellbound" is as an opener, how about "Voodoo Dolly" as a closer! The tension and buildup pulses like a dark ritual and it couldn't be any better (well... only performed better on the Nocturne live album). Always captivating no matter how many times I hear it.

Abominatrix wrote:

(... about My Bloody Valentine - Loveless)

Still not sure exactly what I'm hearing half the time and that's part of the appeal of it. Sometimes it's oddly relaxing and at other times absurdly commanding attention because it's all so cryptically in a world of its own. It's the planned yet completely stoned-out-of-their-minds contradiction of the sound that makes it fascinating. I don't know exactly what is going on with the guitars there but it certainly sounds like they're drifting around in some kind of ocean of destabilising froth.

lennonlikesmetal wrote:

John_Sunlight wrote:

Nolan_B wrote:

My Bloody Valentine - LovelessProbably a record that's in many metalheads' collection. The name seems to come up a lot when discussing non-metal. Absolutely 100% record.

*barf time*Why do metalheads like this again? Yeesh.

Who cares what metalheads think anyway? It's a shoegaze classic. Brilliant, and original abum.

Abominatrix made some interesting observations about how the obscured sensations and dual, contradictory nature of Loveless can make for some, or even most of the appeal. I agree with this and although I don't think it takes mandatory mushrooms to appreciate (be a champ, LSD), it's through those washed-out tones and warped streams of froth (destabilizing of course) that I can see how metalheads get into this album. Sometimes technique and details are so buried in metal that the presentation of harmony and melody can lend itself to your imagination to fill in the blanks. It can be a textural experience that will demand your attention to be able to comprehend what's going on beyond that. Loveless can make a fan from the type that will hear some production-shot winter opus and find a unique, otherworldly quality in it. I know it can be hard for some to get past production values like this but this album is a great example of beautiful music given character by it's obscurity.
Agreed on any 100% accounts. This album deserves it's praise.

Oh yeah, I'll second Nebraska. Such a dark, emotional and personal sounding album. Pure and raw. Atlantic City is really the most polished track, and one of my favorite songs ever. The rest of the album is a dark, acoustic folk/rock/country that's perfect to chill out to and just listen, especially with those great lyrics. Damn good.

If you guys are just going to list, I'm going to close the thread. This is a discussion forum, so fucking discuss already.

Razor_Shark wrote:

stupid list

thrashcollector wrote:

another stupid list

Way to go! If you you've got nothing to say, stay the hell out.

Another album I would put up for being damn near perfect is an interesting one indeed. The album I'm talking about is Corvus Corax - Live auf dem Wäscherschloß from 1998. It's a live album, all narration is done in German (unfortunately), but takes nothing away from the energy and sheer sense of Pagan celebration it exudes. If you know the band you probably already love it, if not they are a extremely interesting, foot-stomping, toe-tapping freaking amazing Folk band of brilliantness. Listen to this albu while drunk and I dare you you to not want to jig, stomp and go crazy to it.

If you guys are just going to list, I'm going to close the thread. This is a discussion forum, so fucking discuss already.

Razor_Shark wrote:

stupid list

thrashcollector wrote:

another stupid list

Way to go! If you you've got nothing to say, stay the hell out.

Another album I would put up for being damn near perfect is an interesting one indeed. The album I'm talking about is Corvus Corax - Live auf dem Wäscherschloß from 1998. It's a live album, all narration is done in German (unfortunately), but takes nothing away from the energy and sheer sense of Pagan celebration it exudes. If you know the band you probably already love it, if not they are a extremely interesting, foot-stomping, toe-tapping freaking amazing Folk band of brilliantness. Listen to this albu while drunk and I dare you you to not want to jig, stomp and go crazy to it.

Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica is a perfect synthesis of abstract, bizarre poetry, odd time delta blues, and free form jazz. His spoken word pieces are also mesmerizing, like the final stanza of "Orange Claw Hammer". Gotta love his random quips too "A squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag is fast and bulbous, got me?!"

Cheers to the person who mentioned Captain Beyond's debut, as well as whoever said Cocteau Twins's "Head Over Heels".

Not sure I'd say Mahavishnu Orchestra's "The Inner-Mounting Flame" is perfect, as some of those compositions aren't as striking as some Can't really beat throwing fuzz on synths, bass, violin, and guitar with wild drumming and exotic scales all while crafting complex harmonies and moving melodies.

Anti Cimex's "Raped Ass" is the pinnacle of all things militant non-British hardcore

Puissance's "Total Cleansing" is godly. Hard to put into words how I feel about that vitriolic piece of martial/neoclassical music.